Because of the fairly equal urban/rural split of the area, there is no particular prevalence of either pillar or lamp boxes over the other.

Standard pillar boxes

Christchurch is fortunate in having an early, pre-standard design of pillar box:

This is the only Victorian pillar box in the area, and neither is there an Edward VII box.

There are 14 George V-reign pillars:

One very rare Edward VIII box:

And eight George VI:

The remaining 13 are Elizabeth II:

Modern pillar boxes

There are seven ‘Type K’ boxes, a familiar modern design, and these are by definition all Elizabeth II:

Large pillar boxes

The area includes five of the fatter version of the pillar box; all these are Elizabeth II-reign ones:

Double-aperture pillar boxes

There are three Elizabeth II-reign examples of these:

Interior boxes

There are also a couple of interior boxes; the first is of a design which is seemingly exclusive to Sainsbury’s supermarkets, while the second is found inside other supermarkets and, as in this one, inside post offices:

Lamp boxes

Designed to be clasped to lampposts and wooden poles, these are nowadays often seen mounted on a metal pole.

All of Christchurch’s 24 are of the Elizabeth II reign. Firstly, here are one attached to a lamppost, one to a telegraph pole and one to its own wooden post:

The remaining 21 are fixed using a metal pole:

Wall boxes

There are eight boxes, of whatever design, set into a brick structure. One of these is set into the wall of the railway station and is Victorian:

The other seven are set into their own brick pillar.

Respectively, one Victorian, one of Edward VII, three George V, one Elizabeth II...... and finally, a large one which does not have an identifiable monarch:

Business boxes

These boxes started appearing in the mid-1990s and are for franked mail only – franked mail cannot be put in ordinary boxes and previously had to be handed in at a post office counter unless the Royal Mail collected from the business. Christchurch has two: